L.I.F.E. Academy students discover the Power of Pennies

PRLog (Press Release) - Jul. 15, 2010 - How long would it take to collect nearly 200,000 pennies? For the special-needs students at the Goodwill L.I.F.E. Academy, the task took less than one year.  Students at the Lee County Charter School collected 197,577 pennies as part of the school’s “Penny Power” project.

L.I.F.E. Academy Principal Lynn Pottorf introduced the school to the possibilities that pennies held in the 2008-09 school year.  That year, the students collected 168,653 pennies.  This year, the bar was set even higher.

“Penny Power teaches the students many lessons of saving,” says Pottorf.  “If you want something beyond your budget, save a little bit at a time and you can achieve your goal.  Even a penny has power when it is saved!”

The L.I.F.E. Academy (http://www.goodwilllifeacademy.org) is a tuition-free Lee County charter school for students with developmental disabilities.  L.I.F.E. Academy’s programs focus on more than just functional academics.  The charter school also focuses on life skills, in order to allow students to live as independently as possible after graduation.  The school is currently enrolling students for Fall, 2010.

After their pennies were bundled, weighed, and deposited in the bank, L.I.F.E. Academy students voted on the best way to spend their hard-earned coins. Students paid for a trip to the movies, and lunch at Chick-fil-A.  They also went bowling and had a pizza party to celebrate their success, all funded by their collected pennies.

“It’s wonderful to see our students working together to achieve something so significant,” says Kirsten O’Donnell, Director of Public Relations for Goodwill.  “Some of them will go on to live in a group home environment in the future, so fostering that sense of community and teamwork is important.  Plus, to be able to celebrate their successes together is great.”

The Goodwill L.I.F.E. Academy is a program of Goodwill Industries of Southwest Florida (http://www.goodwillswfl.org).  For more information about the L.I.F.E. Academy, contact L.I.F.E. Academy principal Lynn Pottorf at (239) 334-4434 or visit http://www.goodwilllifeacademy.org.

# # #

The Goodwill L.I.F.E. Academy is a tuition-free Lee County (Florida) Charter School for middle and high school-age students with developmental disabilities. L.I.F.E. Academy curriculum focuses on life skills, vocational training, and functional academics.

Photo:
http://www.prlog.org/10798337/1